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Topic: Club Culture
Episode 23: with guest Sean Afkhaminia

In today's episode of Between The Posts we tackle a hot topic circulating coaching organizations in the ongoing discussion around creating a unique club culture. Guest Sean Afkhaminia of the Footy Factory is a prime guest to be discussing what he and his staff seek to do each season in Texas communities.

| BE THE CLUB THEY SEEK OUT, NOT SETTLE FOR |

Today's episode will add value to every listener no matter whether you are a player, coach, parent, or fan. Today's episode will be the one we know you will quickly want to send to others, it's just that good! Here's a glimpse into episode 23 and what you can expect as you listen and what you can take back to your organization:

• Create a safe, welcoming, and inclusive environment for players, parents, coaches, & fans
• Creating a positive club image in your community
• The attraction of new members or sponsors; a challenge of all programs.
• The club becoming a place where people want to spend their time not just settle for.
• The club becoming more respected by the community and other clubs.

Check out Sean and the Footy Factory here to learn more about how they're revamping soccer in Texas communities:  https://www.footyfactory.us/

Do you know someone who should be considered as a guest on our show? Email me at [email protected]

Part 2 continues the genius of great coaching which is making hard work FUN! When planning your practices they must duplicate the excitement of the game. As coaching educators we must create an environment which forces players to make their own decisions. We must create an atmosphere where players are allowed to teach themselves and provide a practice that develops instinctive attacking and defending habits. 

One of the many strategies we as coaches should be using more often across youth fields are small-sided games. The impact small-sided games vs alternative methods can have on your players is hard to disagree with if introduced appropriately. 

In today's episode "Koach Karl" joins us to dive deeper into the methodology behind small-sided games and why he believes so deeply in a FUNdamental approach to player development.

Want to read more from "Koach Karl"? For many more wonderful resources, or a closer look into the 9 Step approach to practices visit Karl online: 
www.fundamentalsoccer.com

The genius of good coaching is to make hard work seem like FUN! When planning your practices they must duplicate the excitement of the game. As coaching educators we must create an environment which forces players to make their own decisions. We must create an atmosphere where players are allowed to teach themselves and provide a practice that develops instinctive attacking and defending habits. 

One of the many strategies we as coaches should be using more often across youth fields are small-sided games. The impact small-sided games vs alternative methods can have on your players is hard to disagree with if introduced appropriately. 

In today's episode "Koach Karl" joins us to dive deeper into the methodology behind small-sided games and why he believes so deeply in a FUNdamental approach to player development.

Want to read more from "Koach Karl"? For many more wonderful resources, or a closer look into the 9 Step approach to practices visit Karl online: 
www.fundamentalsoccer.com

Today's episode of Between The Posts we hold a special conversation with guest John DeBenedictus of The Last 9 Seconds. John DeBenedictis has traveled throughout North America presenting his unique lecture on scoring goals. He was one of the keynote speakers at the NSCAA (National Soccer Coaches Association of America) Coaching Convention in Indianapolis in 2013 speaking to a standing room only crowd of over 500 coaches. He was also a guest speaker at the NSCAA conventions in 2004 in Charlotte, North Carolina, and 2005 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. In 2007, DeBenedictis was invited to speak in Santa Clara, California for the California Youth Soccer Association’s annual coaching conference and convention.

John holds the unique distinction of having spoken to the largest soccer coaching audience by any Canadian born coach. Over 1,000 coaches attended his sessions at the conference in Baltimore. John is in his 40th year of coaching and has coached at all levels including internationally. He also ran his own soccer camps with Tony Waiters, former English International goalkeeper and Canadian National Team coach. He played goalkeeper for York University helping them win the National Title in 1977. He signed a semi-professional contract in a professional league called the "National Soccer League" with Toronto Ukrania.

DeBenedictis completed his Honors Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Physical and Health Education as well as earning an advanced certificate of coaching from York University. He holds an NSCAA Advanced National Diploma and a CSA Pre B Provincial License. He has extended his studies by doing extensive research into the cognitive processes used for performing tasks as it relates to perceptual motor-muscular learning. He has focused his research to include studying visual motion perception as it relates to different situations that soccer players encounter. DeBenedictis also studied super-star athletes from a variety of sports to see what they did differently in their human perception motor-muscular development process. His findings are unique and different when combined with the goalkeeper’s point of view on stopping goals. All this information formed the basis for his unique course, which led him to seek out different soccer facts that have helped players understand what it takes to be a great striker. He was able to take his experience as a goalkeeper as well as his coaching experience in dealing with adolescent athletes and blend it in with sports psychology to develop a program that will connect with the athlete in delivering the powerful information derived from his research and findings.

DeBenedictis was also the first coach to bring the Wiel Coerver Dribbling and Ball Possession techniques to Canada demonstrating the techniques across Ontario to coaches and players. DeBenedictis also produced a video on Ball Possession and Dribbling techniques geared to North American kids which are being re-issued and re-edited and some segments are out on YouTube. Many of the players he has coached or instructed went on to play professional soccer in Canada, the USA, and Europe. He has also written numerous coaching articles for soccer publications and sport psychology websites across North America. Some of his articles have been instrumental in introducing change in player development programs with soccer clubs across North America. DeBenedictis is the author of the book, "The Last 9 Seconds" which just came out in 2013 and the primary point of discussion during today's episode!

For more information about John, to buy his book, or if you're considering to host John for "The Golden Goal Scoring Course", and so many other wonderful resources you can find out more here:

http://www.thelast9seconds.com

Article Written By Caleb Wossen of The Dallas Observer: https://www.dallasobserver.com/arts/a-new-soccer-school-is-redirecting-the-focus-from-winning-to-technique-to-the-dismay-of-some-8951088

"Most training sessions for youth soccer feature a dozen or more players engaged in rigorous group exercises and fitness tests, mirroring the sport’s homonymous counterpart, football. Practice at Footy Factory, based in Addison, TX more closely resembles a martial arts or improv session.

Players ranging from kindergartners to high school seniors scrimmage in groups of three or four per session and occasionally one is pulled aside to polish a flaw in technique. During these drills, little to no reference is made to games or competition. This is by design, says founder and CEO Sean Afkhaminia. The goal of Footy Factory is to revolutionize American youth soccer with training that is individualized and focused on developing specific skills by taking the focus and pressure off winning.

“We’re trying to develop players, and no else is doing that [in Texas],” Afkhaminia said. “What’s going on in Dallas is that a lot of the big clubs will take parents’ money and put them on a team, they’ll practice twice a week for an hour, and then play a game on the weekend. It’s not enough. There’s no player development going on here.”

Footy Factory is trying to work against the prevailing mindset that the purpose of playing team sports is to pad a resume for college. The attitude of Footy Factory's coaches recalls soccer clubs in Europe that incubate students for years without interruption.

In conversation, Afkhaminia refers to his philosophy of passion trumping hard work. He insists that no person is born with natural talent, citing Daniel Coyle’s 2009 book The Talent Code.

Afkhaminia specifically disagrees with the bias favoring athleticism and winning records over skill, and he wants Footy Factory to help eager, young players who lack the access or funds to continue developing their craft. Players train three times a week, while members of the club’s various teams practice twice a week and play a game on the weekend. As students grow older, the number of games played per week increases, but training is the highest priority.

“Right now, individual training is always last,” Afkhaminia said. “It’s something that happens after their team practices and games, but that should be their main work so they can take what they know and apply it outside.”

Jude Anuwe, who became a Footy Factory coach in early 2015, majored in biology and physiology at the University of Texas at Dallas. He's helped create a scientific foundation for the company's ethics and regimen. It's all rooted in proprioception or the science of body awareness in space. The plan is to mold players who are able to move more efficiently and better prevent injury.

“Nowadays, you see a particular type of soccer player,” Anuwe said. “Guys pirouetting on the spot, overhead kicks — all of these skills are only mastered if you have a strong core, know where your body is in space, and master your balance. Can we move in a functional way?”

Afkhaminia founded Footy Factory in late 2014 after graduating with a degree in business from West Texas A&M University. Feeling dissatisfied with the school’s soccer program, Afkhaminia briefly managed a soccer club before assuming coaching duties at Shelton High School, there realizing an idea that would evolve into Footy Factory.

For more info on Sean and the Footy Factory philosophy we invite you to check them out on their website as well as social media platforms!

https://www.footyfactory.us/

Episode 18 comes to us from guest Graham Ramsay of the Soccer School (est. 1969) on a topic that coach Ramsay has written about many times as a guest on multiple soccer blogs, coaching websites, and global publications. After a busy summer covering the World Cup, coach Ramsay's take on soccer in the US is not only a valid one but also one of great knowledge based on his many years as a national team staff member.

On a sidenote from your host: Coach Ramsay is brilliant, his perspective on US Soccer couldn't be more accurate and more worth the listeners time. We face a moment of reflection in the US as a soccer loving nation and Coach Ramsay offers a perspective steeped in expereince at every level on the pitch and off. He's the type of leaders we all can look to for guidance! He's the type of leader we need to create in our players!

In a message to other coaches through his own weekly publishment coach Ramsay writes:

Dear All,

From observing a college try-out and a month of World Cup soccer we are in dire need of producing "LEADERS". That are players who can read the play and the game that can rearrange the tactics of the team to inflict damage on our opponents. The coach is too important and often too far away from the critical zone that needs attention.

The two areas of recent concern was watching a college try-out where there was next to no coaching of each other. Most of the coaching was of the limp/meek variety. Compare that with a pro example of young players and the commitment is total. The demanding of both effort and coaching of each other is audible across the pitch.

At a higher level players, especially the captains, have to recognize the changing mood of a game and adapt your tactics to counter your opponents game. England fell into this trap versus Croatia. This can be done jointly between the captain and the coach and change on the fly. This means the captain & coach must have a great relationship. The best example I can think of is the relationship between Bill Nicholson, coach of Tottenham and Danny Blanchflower, captain & leader of Spurs. Nicholson had total trust in Blanchflower who often made tactical changes without telling his coach. A very rare & talented pair.

We need to create a lot of Danny Blachflower's if this country aspires to make a mark on the game.

GOOD LUCK & GREAT SOCCER,

Graham Ramsay, The Soccer School (est.1969)

The myth: There are “Secret training techniques” only used by the professionals.

The truth is that there is no secret advanced training out there that magically takes a keeper from zero to hero. In fact, goalkeeper training stays pretty much the same throughout a keepers career. Whether you’re a professional or just starting out, you’ll be practicing pretty much the same stuff. The difference is that the professionals train these training drills at higher a pace and shot strength which requires higher levels of physical fitness and greater command of technique.

This might seem unfortunate to some people but there are two ways to look at it:

You can see this as a negative - No, there isn’t a “magic bullet” that will help you make huge differences in your ability as a keeper. The training stays the same no matter the level. Bad news if you’re not comfortable training at your current level.

Or, you can see this as a HUGE positive! The training stays the same no matter the level - this means if you are comfortable and successful with your training at your current level, then you should have no problem moving onwards and upwards with your goalkeeping career. Of course, you have to stand out from the crowd and only the best keepers will ever make it to the top level of the game BUT you already know the steps to get there, you train them almost every day.

To hear the rest of the story tune in to this weeks podcast!

Would you consider subscribing to our Podcast Between The Posts? In subscribing to our show you're helping other coaches, players, and parents find our episodes and learn from our content!

Episode 16: How Can Your Keepers Save Their Next Spot Kick (penalty kick)?

Between the Posts episodes are all about inspiration, education, and motivation to help you the coach, player, parent, or fan be a better version of yourself on the pitch or sideline! My name is Tyler Vaughan and this is the podcast devoted to goalkeepers and coaches bringing you the most relevant topics discussed weekly to help you tackle each season's challenges. It doesn’t matter whether your a veteran coach or new to coaching, we strive to deliver a variety of topics and strategies for everyone!

This week we’re going to change things up and deliver a bit of a more focused episode that came to us in the form of a question from one of our very own listeners. Last week Brendan emailed in a question regarding penalty save strategies for his son who is a goalkeeper.

Brendan writes:

Tyler, my son has struggled with saving penalties during his club games. Though PK’s don’t happen all that often they somehow always end up defining the outcome of the games he’s in. As a parent, we’ve told him that it’s really not a situation where keepers are expected to make saves. As you can imagine he struggled with that response which I get. My question is this, are there methods, strategies, or even ways to help him have a better chance of saving the next PK? Or is this just a matter of guessing which way to dive and going for it? I’ve got a 14-year-old who hopes you have the secret sauce!

Today's episode tackles this question and more as we introduce some great strategies for approaching the spot kick as a goalkeeper. After a World Cup full of penalty kicks we certainly saw how these short moments can have massive implications on the outcomes of a result and who moves on or goes home. It's really no different at the youth levels anymore, penalty kicks can define matches and send some players home disappointed while others celebrate. But, is that really a fair position to be in as a goalkeeper? Is it really even a save your supposed to make?

In today's episode, we will introduce a few strategies backed by years of experience and... you guessed it...SCIENCE! We typically don't like to rely on our understanding of human anatomy but in today's episode we will push the boundaries of our knowledge and introduce a full proof way to make your next penalty a save!

Goalkeepers aren't expected to save penalty kicks. The stats say 1 out of 10 PK's is a save. So this means that keepers should take these moments as opportunities to be the hero of the team as opposed to carrying the burden of a situation that truly has their backs against a wall. After today's podcast episode you or your keeper will have the confidence to be the hero their team needs the next time they're faced with a 12-yard moment!

Questions or Feedback about the show? Want to be considered for one of our upcoming episodes? Reach out to Tyler at [email protected] and he'll get back to you!

Don't forget, because you're a loyal listener you earn instance savings on your next pair of Renegade GK gloves. Just use code BTP20 at checkout on www.renegade-gk.com.

What are the things that great coaches do every day that makes them great? Is it their ability to inspire, to educate, or to Motivate? On today’s episode of Between the Posts, we will tackle the 5 habits of effective coaches giving you a few things to think about as you prepare for your next coaching season.

1. Make training more challenging and more demanding than the game you face each week.

• Great coaches realize that competition is not the time to find out where your athletes’ physical and mental limits are. Training needs to be more challenging and more demanding – physically, mentally, technically, tactically, emotionally – than the competition your athletes are preparing for.

2. Never cease to Learn and develop as a coach faster than the players you’re coaching.

• Great coaches realize that success is a moving target and to stay relevant they must be committed to life-long learning, honest personal and professional evaluation and continuous improvement.

3. Accelerate your rate of learning faster than your opposition.

• The Internet has ensured that there are no secrets in our sport. Everyone knows what you know. Anyone can get anything, anytime, anywhere and for free. Everyone is learning something every day. Great coaches understand this and strive to accelerate their rate of learning faster than their opposing coaches.

4. Enhance your creative thinking skills.

• Creativity is the defining difference between good coaches and great coaches. Ironically, creativity is the one thing that we are robbing our players of in youth sports.

5. Coach individuals – even in team sports.

• There are no true team sports left anymore. Every significant moment in every sport boils down to “person vs person” and with performance analysis now at the level of millimeters and fractions of seconds, every athlete’s strengths and weaknesses are well known by their opposition.

For more great resources, episodes, and content like you've heard here please check us out at www.renegade-gk.com. If you have any questions, feedback, or would like to be considered as a guest on an upcoming episode of Between The Posts we encourage you to reach out to Tyler via email: [email protected].

On today's episode of Between The Posts we welcome back for the second part of last weeks episode Bradley Morrison. Bradley is a current Division 1 collegiate coach, former youth state director, and all around top-level coach who we're humbled to have on the show. For those of you that weren't able to tune in last week and get to know coach Bradley he has a wonderful perspective and brings an all-around unique view to the podcast that will leave listeners full of energy and information to get the process of playing at the collegiate level started.

Bradley's history on both sides of this table delivers sound advice that he's learned from his many years as both a youth state director now through his time as a collegiate coach. With rules, regulations, do's and don'ts constantly changing Bradley is an expert whose opinion you can trust and follow with confidence. In a world where technology provides a unique vantage point for college coaches into the player profile, we tackle some key ideas around standing out amongst the crowd and how your player can differentiate themselves from others.

Here are the facts, yes, seeking to play college soccer is achievable for most young athletes, but, it's critical that the process is given the time needed to make these goals come true. It is also extremely important and covered in today's episode that both players, parents, and coaches develop a realistic approach and respect for this process. The numbers, unfortunately, don't lie: the NCAA estimates that out of approximately 450,000 male players only a total of 25,000 ends up participating in college soccer. For female athletes, out of an estimated 400,000 players, only 27,000 end up playing college soccer.

The positive for today's listeners is that Bradley provides a very detailed, yet simple roadmap to get your young college hopeful from their freshmen year of High School through signing day their senior year. With Bradley's wealth of knowledge and unique perspective, we know today's Part 2 episode will impact our listeners by giving them the tools to be successful along their own personalized college soccer journey.

For more information other wonderful soccer related topics facing our coaches and players please check out Coach Bradley's website:

http://tacticscorner.com/

On today's episode of Between The Posts we welcome on Bradley Morrison, Division 1 collegiate coach, former youth state director, and all around top-level coach. Bradley has a wonderful perspective and brings an all-around unique view to the podcast that will leave listeners full of energy and information to get the process of playing at the collegiate level started.

Bradley's history on both sides of this table delivers sound advice that he's learned from his years as both a youth state director now through his time as a collegiate coach. With rules, regulations, do's and don'ts constantly changing Bradley is an expert whose opinion you can trust and follow with confidence. In a world where technology provides a unique vantage point for college coaches into the player profile, we tackle some key ideas around standing out amongst the crowd and how your player can differentiate themselves from others.

Here are the facts, yes, seeking to play college soccer is achievable for most young athletes, but, it's critical that the process is given the time needed to make these goals come true. It is also extremely important and covered in today's episode that both players, parents, and coaches develop a realistic approach and respect for this process. The numbers, unfortunately, don't lie: the NCAA estimates that out of approximately 450,000 male players only a total of 25,000 ends up participating in college soccer. For female athletes, out of an estimated 400,000 players, only 27,000 end up playing college soccer.

The positive for today's listeners is that Bradley provides a very detailed, yet simple roadmap to get your young college hopeful from their freshmen year of High School through signing day their senior year. With Bradley's wealth of knowledge and unique perspective, we know today's episode will impact our listeners by giving them the tools to be successful along the college journey.

For more information other wonderful soccer related topics facing our coaches and players please check out Coach Bradley's website:

http://tacticscorner.com/